Speaker 1: Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho.
Speaker 1: This is your host, Adam Brahm. In a moment, we're
Speaker 1: going to bring you this week's episode of dragnapp. But
Speaker 1: first I want to encourage you. If you're enjoying the podcast,
Speaker 1: please follow us using your favorite podcast software. Today's program
Speaker 1: is brought you a part by the financial support of
Speaker 1: our listeners. You can become one of our ongoing Patreon
Speaker 1: supporters for as little last two dollars per month at
Speaker 1: Patreon dot Great Detectives dot net. Now we have the
Speaker 1: first of many casting changes in terms of Joe Friday's partner.
Speaker 1: This is a decision that played out on radio, but
Speaker 1: really had its root in the television program Ed Jacobs
Speaker 1: was meant primarily as a stop get and the network
Speaker 1: really thought that Barney Phillips looked too much like Jack Webb,
Speaker 1: and throughout Dragging its first season, they tried a lot
Speaker 1: of things in order to make this less apparent. They
Speaker 1: use glasses, they dyed Barney Phillips hair, and they also
Speaker 1: for one episode gave him this amazing leather rain jacket,
Speaker 1: which I really wish had gotten more airtime. Yeah, if
Speaker 1: they had to. They could just say it was raining
Speaker 1: all the time in Los Angeles, but apparently they were
Speaker 1: not satisfied, and so they began the search for a
Speaker 1: permanent partner. This mostly doesn't play out very much on TV,
Speaker 1: as Barney Phillips would play at Jacobs throughout the entirety
Speaker 1: of the first season, and then in the second season
Speaker 1: it wouldn't be long before Ben Alexander would take over
Speaker 1: as Frank Smith. But over radio it was different, and
Speaker 1: they tried a few different things. This may have been
Speaker 1: the best idea they had, and if it had worked,
Speaker 1: it would have been a big shift in the series.
Speaker 1: The new partner, unlike Friday's other partners, was a younger man,
Speaker 1: and so was the actor who played him, Martin Milner,
Speaker 1: who had just turned twenty one and would go on
Speaker 1: to success on television, most notably in Route sixty six
Speaker 1: and then later for Web again in Adam twelve. Now
Speaker 1: from April seventeenth, nineteen fifty two, Here is the Big Bunco.
Speaker 2: The story you were about to hear is true. The
Speaker 2: names have been changed to protect the innocence. You're a
Speaker 2: detective sergeant. You're assigned the Bunco detail. An experienced confidence.
Speaker 2: Man is set up up. From his first two victims,
Speaker 2: he gets more than eight thousand dollars. You've got one
Speaker 2: good lead on the suspect, his method of operation, Your
Speaker 2: job get him.
Speaker 3: Drag Met the documented drama of an actual crime. All
Speaker 3: the next thirty minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles
Speaker 3: Police Department, you will travel step by step on the
Speaker 3: side of the law through an actual case transcribed from
Speaker 3: official police files, from beginning to end, from crime to punishment.
Speaker 3: Drag Net is the story of your police force and action.
Speaker 4: It was Tuesday, December ninth. It was Wendy in Los Angeles.
Speaker 4: We were working the day watch out of Bunco Detail.
Speaker 4: My partner's said Jacob's the bosses Captain Steve. My name
Speaker 4: is Friday. I was on the way into the office
Speaker 4: and it was seven p fifty am when I got
Speaker 4: your room, thirty eight Bunco detail. All right, Joe, All right, Charlie,
Speaker 4: how'd you make out yesterday? Nothing?
Speaker 5: The luck?
Speaker 6: It all?
Speaker 7: Nothing's going to help with my same description on the guy,
Speaker 7: he used the same name, Samemo. Didn't get anything we
Speaker 7: don't already know about him. How about you?
Speaker 4: You're luck?
Speaker 6: Anybody ooh, about the same.
Speaker 4: Checked out the building with a suspect, rented office space,
Speaker 4: he moved out three days ago. No forwarding address. Check
Speaker 4: the hotel he was supposed to be stopping at didn't pan.
Speaker 6: Out, didn't time. Let's take his neck out again. Now,
Speaker 6: it doesn't guarantee we'll reach him too late to start.
Speaker 4: When the complaints come in, we're gonna have to take
Speaker 4: up a faster way of getting to him.
Speaker 6: Hey, you gott imagine? Yeah, sure, yeah, thanks.
Speaker 7: Oh, by the way, I just heard about your partner
Speaker 7: at Jacob's understand.
Speaker 4: You're losing Oh yeah, temporarily anyway to do well. He's
Speaker 4: going on a loan out up at the academy. It's
Speaker 4: going to be an instructor up there. Two months anyway,
Speaker 4: maybe more. When does this happen tomorrow? For tenth What.
Speaker 6: Are you gonna do for a partner? You and Ken'
Speaker 6: gonna work again?
Speaker 4: No, the Captain's bringing in the new man. Young fellow's
Speaker 4: been working in the business office.
Speaker 6: I mean the big Irish kid works the early morning.
Speaker 4: No, No, this boy's been working days names Bill Lockwood.
Speaker 4: I asked for him so as I found I was
Speaker 4: going to lose it. You know well a little bit.
Speaker 4: Yeah you remember Ben ro Meryl. Yeah, sure, well Lockwood's
Speaker 4: a nephew of Ben's sister's boy tall right here.
Speaker 7: Oh yeah, I've seen him round it seems to be
Speaker 7: a nice new kid and a good record hit or
Speaker 7: the captain thinks.
Speaker 4: So figures he got to work in pretty well.
Speaker 6: And by the way, have you seen Ben's wife?
Speaker 4: Wait? Yeah, I did a couple of weeks ago. Seems
Speaker 4: to be doing all right still missus Ben, of course.
Speaker 8: Yeah.
Speaker 6: I imagine the little boys shirt getting big. Looks a
Speaker 6: lot like his dad too, miss him quite a bit yourself. Yeah, Charlie,
Speaker 6: I guess I do. Well, I'm better get on my horse.
Speaker 6: You get some check in to do. Now op the lock.
Speaker 7: When boy works out for you, Well, I think you'll
Speaker 7: do all right, And say I'd be crazy about the
Speaker 7: idea myself behind me breaking in a new man, no
Speaker 7: detective experience, I go out.
Speaker 6: To pick up a thief.
Speaker 7: I like to figure I've got some good backing. I mean,
Speaker 7: I'm a partner. I'm used to it. It's tough enough
Speaker 7: watching out for yourself, let alone at green youngster.
Speaker 4: Well, somebody had to do it for us. That's the
Speaker 4: way it goes. Yeah, I remember when I first studied.
Speaker 4: It didn't come much greener in me. Partner did all
Speaker 4: the work, took all the chances, helped me every further way.
Speaker 6: You never mentioned it once.
Speaker 4: I never forgot that it's a good cop.
Speaker 6: What was his name? Ben Romo.
Speaker 4: In a particular setup, before a man's eligible to apply
Speaker 4: for duty and the detective girl, he has to have
Speaker 4: a minimum or five years experience as a police officer,
Speaker 4: either assigned to radio patrol, traffic duty, or some other
Speaker 4: general assignment. After the initial five years of service, the
Speaker 4: men go through a screening process to determine which department
Speaker 4: of which job they'll put and do best some positions
Speaker 4: that they seem to show a natural aptitude corps. If
Speaker 4: a man applies for duty and a division of the
Speaker 4: Detective Bureau, and if he's accepted, he's assigned a partner
Speaker 4: to work with the day he goes on the job,
Speaker 4: generally a working detective with some experience. In the case
Speaker 4: of Ben's nephew, Bill Lockwood, he put in his first
Speaker 4: five years working wheelshair traffic and also doing radio patrol
Speaker 4: in Holland beck in seventy seven street divisions. After spending
Speaker 4: another eleven months in our business office. Captain Steed put
Speaker 4: in a request for him and he was transferred. When
Speaker 4: I heard ed Jacobs was going to be loaned to
Speaker 4: the Police Academy as an instructor, I talked to Captain
Speaker 4: Steed about Lockwood and he assigned him as my new partner.
Speaker 4: The changeover happened in the middle of one of the
Speaker 4: toughest investigations we'd had in months, a bunco artist who
Speaker 4: was working hard at the Business Opportunities Racket. The following morning,
Speaker 4: December tenth, Bill Lockwood reported in for work. When we
Speaker 4: grow about to check a potential lead on the suspect
Speaker 4: on the way I laid out the case for him.
Speaker 4: Nothing on the men in r and I huh, no
Speaker 4: record at all. No, no, as far as me know,
Speaker 4: Bill check Brett up at Sacramento CII nothing doing there.
Speaker 4: He couldn't help it. And what have you been growing on?
Speaker 4: His description? Yeah? That and his mo and his name.
Speaker 4: He uses a different alias on each job. Russell Pressed
Speaker 4: and that was the last name in Youth.
Speaker 6: I see.
Speaker 4: He usually starts by putting a want ad in the paper.
Speaker 5: Is that well?
Speaker 4: He rents himself an office first, usually pretty expensive when
Speaker 4: well furnished. Then he hires a good looking secretary, has
Speaker 4: her put a want ad in the daily papers for him,
Speaker 4: and he's in business. And how do the ads are?
Speaker 4: As usual? Yeah, typical thing you see in the daily paper.
Speaker 4: Business opportunity for people with vision, good investment, high profits
Speaker 4: applying out, you know. And then he gives his address
Speaker 4: and phone numbers. There's nothing clever about it, but people
Speaker 4: still go for it. Can give them many replies.
Speaker 1: Do you know?
Speaker 4: Well, we figured he got between twenty and thirty on
Speaker 4: that last daily pulled. Seems all he has to do
Speaker 4: is land run victim out of the bunch with enough money,
Speaker 4: and he's got it made. Took his first victim here
Speaker 4: for five thousand, second one for thirty two hundred. The
Speaker 4: Lively women took him for their last dollar.
Speaker 7: About the way he sets up the deal with these
Speaker 7: different businessmen, Joe, I don't think I got it quite straight,
Speaker 7: you know what I mean? Well, I'll say the owner
Speaker 7: of that manufacturing plant is Russell Preston.
Speaker 4: Lined up, you know, you say. Preston went to the plant.
Speaker 7: Introduced himself as a business advisor, told the owner of
Speaker 7: the plant he had some people with money to invest.
Speaker 4: He convinced the owner who's legitimate.
Speaker 7: The other time and Preston had his two victims shown
Speaker 7: through the plant and convinced him they ought to invest
Speaker 7: their money in the business. You know it's do you
Speaker 7: mean to say the plant owners were acting in good faith?
Speaker 4: Well, they were all checked out Bill everything about him.
Speaker 4: They all have good business reputation. They didn't know any
Speaker 4: more about the deal and the victim. They needed more
Speaker 4: capital for their business, and they figured this was it.
Speaker 7: There's Preston or whatever his name is. Sure must have
Speaker 7: a line that won't stop.
Speaker 4: It's got everything that goes with it. Nice clothes, well mannered,
Speaker 4: good looking. He doesn't try to high pressure. Anybody tells
Speaker 4: him if they have confidence in him, he'd be glad
Speaker 4: to invest their money if they had it all. He
Speaker 4: shows him right through the office. Pretty good pitch.
Speaker 6: Once they're sold on him, he's got him over a barrel.
Speaker 4: It's about the size of it.
Speaker 7: You know, money, there's no record on him. Sure sounds
Speaker 7: like he's had a lot of experience.
Speaker 6: What are the other names he's used, you remember?
Speaker 4: Well, just two of them we know of Russell R.
Speaker 4: Preston and George a fairchild. I guess the newspapers have
Speaker 4: been checked out. Huh ones he ran on? What ends did? Yeah,
Speaker 4: we've all been talked to, all their personal beant notified
Speaker 4: to have watch for ads of that type. Be one
Speaker 4: way to get a lead on him if he try
Speaker 4: it again.
Speaker 7: Well, what about the buildings where we rented office space?
Speaker 7: Isn't the people their help any Well?
Speaker 4: They confirmed his description. We picked up samples of his handwriting.
Speaker 4: It's about it. He only rented the officers long enough
Speaker 4: to cover his deal about two weeks. See one hundred
Speaker 4: block is just built.
Speaker 6: And see over there, let's see you.
Speaker 4: Yeah, seventeen hundred. We want the next on eighteen eleven.
Speaker 4: Who's this woman we're gonna talk to? Vivian Castle?
Speaker 6: All right?
Speaker 4: Yeah, I'm not sure if she's the right girl or not.
Speaker 4: Got the lead from the employment agency. Chance she might
Speaker 4: be the girl Preston hired to be a secretary. I
Speaker 4: don't know a good parting place up there ahead?
Speaker 5: Huh yeah, that's good.
Speaker 4: Pull up anywhere along here, it's fine. Two hours down
Speaker 4: Joe Real Estate Office, eighteen Elevean.
Speaker 6: Sea, Good morning, good morning.
Speaker 8: Can I help him?
Speaker 4: Police officers? Man? We'd like to talk to him, Miss Castle,
Speaker 4: Vivian Castle.
Speaker 8: Well, I'm Vivian Castle.
Speaker 4: Where's our identification? This is my partner, Officer Lockwood. My
Speaker 4: name is Friday.
Speaker 8: How do you do? What is it you want? Officer?
Speaker 4: We'd like to find out a few known George Fairchild Man.
Speaker 8: Fairchild, No, I don't know anyone by that name.
Speaker 7: How about a Russell Preston, Miss that I mean.
Speaker 6: Anything to you?
Speaker 8: Oh? I used to work for mister Preston.
Speaker 4: Russell Preston about how long ago was that?
Speaker 8: One's a month and a half ago?
Speaker 4: Where does he have his offices?
Speaker 8: He did have him on South Grand near eight, the
Speaker 8: old Bill Montes Harris building.
Speaker 4: Would you mind describing mister Preston for ust, ma'am? Just
Speaker 4: the general description?
Speaker 8: Might he was about forty forty five years old, brown here,
Speaker 8: a little gray, nice build, seem to be very nice
Speaker 8: man at first, always dressed so nice word dark tousu
Speaker 8: seemed to be very nice.
Speaker 6: Checks out so far, y'all now telling me what it's about.
Speaker 4: Well, we'd like to locate mister Preston man. You only
Speaker 4: idea where he is now?
Speaker 8: I wish I did. I'd call a State Labor commission.
Speaker 8: It seemed like such a nice man. I've never been
Speaker 8: so disappointed in my life. What do you mean he
Speaker 8: owes me two weeks to pay sixty five dollars a week?
Speaker 8: I need's a private secretary. Good jobs aren't hard to
Speaker 8: get now either. He can't say he's giving me a
Speaker 8: break when he hired And are you from the labor Commissions?
Speaker 4: No, ma'am or not? Would you tell us how long
Speaker 4: you work for this mister Preston?
Speaker 8: Just three weeks? He said, I was going to get
Speaker 8: paid every Friday. Give me the money for the first
Speaker 8: week and that's all. Kept waiting for my pay, but
Speaker 8: he kept putting me off. Last week and a half,
Speaker 8: he didn't even show up at the office. I was
Speaker 8: there all alone, eight hours a day. The building manager
Speaker 8: shut up and told me he was all over. The
Speaker 8: person closed the office didn't mean you have the decency
Speaker 8: to come in and say thank you goodbry. I just left.
Speaker 4: And you have no idea at oh where mister Preston
Speaker 4: is now?
Speaker 8: No, sir, I wish I did.
Speaker 7: Were there any office files, mail files anywhere to get
Speaker 7: a possible line on him?
Speaker 8: As far as I know, I didn't keep any files
Speaker 8: for him, and in fact, I didn't do any work
Speaker 8: at all. It's the show piece. I guess that's all
Speaker 8: he can't me. Therefore no reason why I shouldn't pay me, though,
Speaker 8: Are you sure you're not from the Labor Commission?
Speaker 4: Did mister Preston ever? Have you place any want adds
Speaker 4: in the daily papers missus Castle?
Speaker 8: M Yeah, he did a couple of times ads for
Speaker 8: business opportunities. You know, he was in the investment business,
Speaker 8: helped people invest in money.
Speaker 4: Would you have to know anyone who invested money with him?
Speaker 4: I mean, would you know him by name?
Speaker 8: No? Not by name. Quite a few people came through
Speaker 8: the office. I know a few of them made deals
Speaker 8: with mister Preston. I wouldn't remember their names, though.
Speaker 7: And you don't know any friends he might have had
Speaker 7: in town, any of his business associates.
Speaker 8: No, they're not a one. I didn't know he had
Speaker 8: any associates.
Speaker 4: How about where he was staying in this castle? You
Speaker 4: must have known that.
Speaker 8: Yeah, the first weeks I was there, I did the
Speaker 8: only week I got paid for him. He was staying
Speaker 8: at a small hotel on South far The next week though,
Speaker 8: I don't know where he went after that, neither just
Speaker 8: the hotel.
Speaker 4: I asked him, well, during the time you worked for him, man,
Speaker 4: did you ever have anything to do with mister Preston socially?
Speaker 4: I mean, was it part of your job? You bought
Speaker 4: to dinner with him? Things like that? Yeah?
Speaker 8: I did once or twice. When he asked him, I
Speaker 8: didn't think he was part of my job. So the
Speaker 8: Preston didn't mention it either. Once we went out to
Speaker 8: dinner just the tourists. Now, the time he went out
Speaker 8: with my girlfriend, Norma, I had a terrible kind mister
Speaker 8: Preston was awful.
Speaker 4: How do you mean?
Speaker 8: Well, he thanked too much and was throwing his way around,
Speaker 8: you know, the bus, making a play for my girlfriend Norma.
Speaker 8: I think he liked her quite a bit. She was embarrassing, though. Look,
Speaker 8: would you mind telling me what's the matter. Is mister
Speaker 8: Preston in trouble with the police.
Speaker 4: Yes, Ma'a'm afraid so she did some people out of
Speaker 4: quite a bit of money. It's not the first time.
Speaker 8: Either, Hey, what was it? Would you do?
Speaker 4: Confidence scheme? Selling interest in the company he had no
Speaker 4: connection with?
Speaker 8: That is a no limits. I guess it's my own thought.
Speaker 8: I shouldn't nun where it's happened before. Well, they hire you,
Speaker 8: they give you a beautiful office and I soft chair
Speaker 8: to sit on, and never give you any work to do.
Speaker 8: Don't have to live to finger. I finally got the j.
Speaker 4: Yeah, this is the kind you have to watch out for,
Speaker 4: Bill Lockwood and't. I continued questioning the former secretary of
Speaker 4: Russell Preston alias George Fairchild, but she was unable to
Speaker 4: come up with any kind of a definite lead as
Speaker 4: to the suspects. Whereabout We left our card with a
Speaker 4: girl and she promised to contact us in the event
Speaker 4: she came across any information regarding Preston. For the rest
Speaker 4: of the day, we ran down three more possible leads.
Speaker 4: They came from an informant, a head waiter in the
Speaker 4: second rate nightclub, a small time drifter with an extra grind,
Speaker 4: and they all figured they had the right answer where
Speaker 4: to find Preston.
Speaker 6: We checked out the three.
Speaker 4: Locations they gave us a motel out near Santa Monica,
Speaker 4: a rooming house in Hollywood, a cocktail lounge, and Highland Park.
Speaker 4: Not one of the three paid off. Russell Preston alias
Speaker 4: George Fairchild wasn't known at any of the places. Either
Speaker 4: by name, dress, or physical description. During the next three weeks,
Speaker 4: along with Sergeants Charlie Riblet and Ken Scarce of Bunco Detail,
Speaker 4: Bill Lockwood and I ran down every possible lead on
Speaker 4: the suspect hotels, the want ed departments of the daily papers,
Speaker 4: managers of downtown office buildings, secretarial employment agencies, small businesses,
Speaker 4: advertising stock for sale. They got us nothing, despite all
Speaker 4: the precautions in all the lake work. On January sixth,
Speaker 4: we got a call from a missus Marie Barrett in
Speaker 4: the West Lake Park area. She owned and managed the
Speaker 4: toy shop just off Wiltshire Boulevard. Bill Lockwood and I
Speaker 4: drove out to talk to her.
Speaker 9: Yeah, they told me it was the opportunity of a lifetime,
Speaker 9: a big opportunity, and I just can't believe it.
Speaker 4: I can't understand it.
Speaker 9: Why even took me out and showed me the fast tree,
Speaker 9: get him the man around the place they're making plastics.
Speaker 6: Showed me the whole plant.
Speaker 4: Said the plant was out in Glendale.
Speaker 9: Now what about It was right along with fan Cananda Road,
Speaker 9: maybe a mile or two before you get to the
Speaker 9: Air Force.
Speaker 8: They showed me to the whole plant.
Speaker 4: Who showed your films there owner of.
Speaker 9: The place in this, mister Fairchild, a big place making
Speaker 9: plastics of all kinds.
Speaker 8: There was a new prince.
Speaker 4: What was mister Fairchild's first name? Do you remember?
Speaker 9: George? George Fairchild an associates. That was the name of
Speaker 9: the door of the office when I went up to
Speaker 9: see him. Of course, I really didn't have a notion
Speaker 9: to invest any money.
Speaker 4: When I first went up.
Speaker 9: It was a newspaper edge, you know, And I answered
Speaker 9: lots of kind of a hobby with me.
Speaker 8: Yes.
Speaker 9: So when it to see him, and we talked, and
Speaker 9: as I say, I wasn't thinking of investing any money,
Speaker 9: but mister Fairchild seemed like such a nice man, seemed
Speaker 9: to have a good business head on his shoulders. Well
Speaker 9: ended up with me putting my whole seatingsoccown into the
Speaker 9: plastics plant six thousand.
Speaker 4: Four hundred dollars, every tenny of us. I hadn't heard
Speaker 4: from mister Fairchild, sink.
Speaker 6: I just don't know what to think.
Speaker 4: I can't understand it. Do you have any idea where
Speaker 4: to contact this Fairchild now? And he address telephone number?
Speaker 9: Well, I called his office. It's in the Oxford Exchange building.
Speaker 9: There's no answer though they fas is connected. I've been
Speaker 9: trying for a week to contact mister Fairchild. I mean,
Speaker 9: six thousand and four hundred dollars. I just don't know
Speaker 9: what to do. All my savings, I don't know what
Speaker 9: to do. M excuse me, please, customer, I can't afford.
Speaker 6: It, mister sale. Now, yes, ma'am, you've right ahead.
Speaker 9: Hell and you've help that lady.
Speaker 4: Please. Looks like he scored again.
Speaker 6: Huh.
Speaker 4: I wouldn't die it.
Speaker 6: She seems to do a fair business here, huh.
Speaker 4: I mean after Christmas and all. Yeah, I suppose of
Speaker 4: course the women go for it. You hang up a
Speaker 4: sales sign. You can't beat them off with a club.
Speaker 4: See this gadget here? Pretty clever?
Speaker 6: Huh yeah, minister Sherman tank?
Speaker 4: What's it due?
Speaker 6: Watch? Don't know?
Speaker 4: Well? How about that?
Speaker 6: Pretty cute, isn't it.
Speaker 7: Cannon's on the side, Spark's coming out, and after you've
Speaker 7: got one for Christmas, you.
Speaker 6: Got a lot of power.
Speaker 4: Try to climb over just about anything.
Speaker 6: Uh huh?
Speaker 8: Alright, to keep you waiting if there's customer's after.
Speaker 4: You tenant to surely we understand now about this money
Speaker 4: you gave Fairchild and this bad the sixty four hundred dollars.
Speaker 4: How'd you work that? I mean, did you give him
Speaker 4: a check or how'd you do it?
Speaker 8: Yes?
Speaker 9: I gave him a check, let's cash. The same day
Speaker 9: I gave it to him. I found that out from
Speaker 9: the bank.
Speaker 4: What was he was supposed to get for your money? Man?
Speaker 9: Interest in the plastics company?
Speaker 4: One fifth interest?
Speaker 9: Seemed like such a good idea at the time.
Speaker 4: Did you ever discuss the deal with the owners of
Speaker 4: the plastics company? I mean when mister Fairchild wasn't around.
Speaker 9: No, I guess I never did. Mister Fairchild didn't think
Speaker 9: it was a good idea. Said he wanted me to
Speaker 9: get the most for my money. Said he was afraid
Speaker 9: of the company owners. Talked to him alone, he might
Speaker 9: argue me to take him this profit.
Speaker 4: He didn't want me to talk to him at all.
Speaker 4: If he wasn't around, and you weren't suspicious of him
Speaker 4: at all.
Speaker 9: Huh, mister fairy Child, Oh, very nice man. There are
Speaker 9: few things he did. It made me a little uncertain.
Speaker 9: But he always explained everything to him. He always had
Speaker 9: a good reason for everything he did. Nice man, clean cut,
Speaker 9: well addressed, beautiful manners. They never take him for anything
Speaker 9: but a gentleman.
Speaker 8: You see what I mean?
Speaker 6: What do you mean him?
Speaker 4: Yes?
Speaker 9: Not just a perfect gentleman.
Speaker 4: I don't know what to think.
Speaker 9: I can't call him a crook. He just isn't the kind.
Speaker 6: Well, they took your money, was there?
Speaker 4: What else would you call him? Two eighteen PM, when
Speaker 4: we got through interviewing the latest victim, Marie Barrett, Bill
Speaker 4: Lockwood and I drove out to the plastics company on
Speaker 4: San Fernando Road, where we talked to the owner and manager.
Speaker 4: The story was pretty much the same. The suspect, using
Speaker 4: the name of George Fairchild, had called on them three
Speaker 4: weeks before, introducing himself as an investment counselor. He told
Speaker 4: them he had clients with money to invest in the
Speaker 4: growing industry, such as theirs, and they went for the story.
Speaker 4: They told us Fairchild had come back to her three
Speaker 4: times with different persons whom he introduced as his clients.
Speaker 4: They'd been shown through the plastics plant and given a
Speaker 4: sales talk. That's about all the company owners could tell us.
Speaker 4: When we got back to the office, we checked their
Speaker 4: names through the regular business channels and found out they
Speaker 4: were reputable businessmen. It was nothing to indicate that they
Speaker 4: had anything to do with the suspects bunco Operations four
Speaker 4: thirty pm. Joe, Yeah, girl out.
Speaker 7: Here to see us and when he used to be
Speaker 7: Preston's secretary of Vivian Castle Again she said what she wanted.
Speaker 4: No, seems a little anxious.
Speaker 8: Oh sir, I'm glad I found Gene.
Speaker 6: Oh are you miss Castle?
Speaker 8: Mr? I was going to phone you, but I couldn't
Speaker 8: even do your number, lost the card you game, so
Speaker 8: I decided to come down. You remember talking to me,
Speaker 8: don't you about mister Preston my over Have you heard
Speaker 8: from Heim? No? I haven't. But you remember me telling
Speaker 8: me about my girlfriend Norma. I mean the time mister
Speaker 8: Preston took me up. Norman and our boyfriend were wizuses,
Speaker 8: the way mister Preston kept making a play for Norma. Well,
Speaker 8: I saw Norma at lunchtime today, first time in week.
Speaker 8: She told me she got a call from mister Preston.
Speaker 8: I told her I'd tell you all about it. She's
Speaker 8: got a date with him dinner Friday night.
Speaker 3: You are listening to drag met authentic stories of your
Speaker 3: police force and action.
Speaker 4: Wednesday, January sixth, four fifty PM. We called Vivian Castle's girlfriend,
Speaker 4: Norma Cummings, and then we drove out to talk to her.
Speaker 4: The Commings girl told us that Russell Preston the telephone
Speaker 4: that morning and made the date with her for Friday
Speaker 4: night at seven point thirty. He said they were to
Speaker 4: have dinner at a nightclub out in the Wiltshire district.
Speaker 4: He also mentioned to her that he was staying in
Speaker 4: a hotel, but she didn't know the name of the location.
Speaker 4: We made arrangements for a stake out at Norma cummings apartment.
Speaker 4: The girl agreed to cooperate with us. Thursday, January seventh,
Speaker 4: we checked with a personnel at the different restaurants, bars,
Speaker 4: and nightclubs which Preston and the Commings girl were to visit.
Speaker 4: Some of them remembered Preston, but as far as they knew,
Speaker 4: he hadn't been back. We left our cards with each
Speaker 4: one of them and we asked him to contact us
Speaker 4: if he should return. Just after lunch on Friday, we
Speaker 4: got a phone call from Norma Cummings.
Speaker 6: When was that miss? Did you find out where he was?
Speaker 4: I see?
Speaker 6: Will you be there for the rest of the day?
Speaker 8: No?
Speaker 4: I fine, Yeah, we'll call you back goodbye.
Speaker 7: Yeah, Cummings girl, she's at work. She just had a
Speaker 7: phone call from Preston. She tried to find out where
Speaker 7: he was. No girl, what he had to say dinner day?
Speaker 7: He had with her at night?
Speaker 6: Now he call it off.
Speaker 4: Later that afternoon we went out and talked to the
Speaker 4: Cummings girl. She told us Pressed and explained on the
Speaker 4: phone that he had to cancel a date that night
Speaker 4: because of some business deal it had come up. He
Speaker 4: told her he'd get in touch with her over the weekend.
Speaker 4: He didn't. By Thursday of the following week, she still
Speaker 4: hadn't heard from him. Two days later, on a Saturday afternoon,
Speaker 4: we got a call from one of the cocktail lounges.
Speaker 4: Pressed and had visited. The bartender remembered us being in
Speaker 4: there to inquire about the suspect, and he'd saved our card.
Speaker 4: He said Preston was there now with another man drinking
Speaker 4: at the bar. We asked the bartender to try and
Speaker 4: delay the suspect as long as possible, and we got
Speaker 4: in the car and drove to the location. It was
Speaker 4: too late. The bartender explained that he tried to delay
Speaker 4: the man that he thought was Preston, but he didn't
Speaker 4: have much luck. The suspect had left a few minutes
Speaker 4: after the bartender had called us. He'd been drinking heavily.
Speaker 4: The man Presston had been with was still there. He
Speaker 4: was sitting at an old upright piano in the back
Speaker 4: of the place, trying to pick out a tune with
Speaker 4: one finger. Hill and I went back and talked to him.
Speaker 4: He gave his name as Fred Sandel.
Speaker 6: Yeah, that's right. I was drinking of a fellow. Why smile.
Speaker 6: You never seen a man before? Yeah, once or twice
Speaker 6: I place up the streets seven eight.
Speaker 5: I had a couple of.
Speaker 6: Drinks with him. Man, you know his name? What's the
Speaker 6: angle you want him for?
Speaker 9: Something?
Speaker 4: Was just a routine check.
Speaker 6: We'd like to talk to him. Oh, I don't know.
Speaker 6: I might know his name. Yeah, well, well, what's the
Speaker 6: angle on the thing you want him for?
Speaker 4: Something?
Speaker 6: Vague?
Speaker 4: They want to talk to him?
Speaker 6: That's eyes something like that. Hey, he didn't look like
Speaker 6: that kind of guy. I was he thinking that we
Speaker 6: couldn't get that name.
Speaker 5: How about it?
Speaker 6: You say you might know the man's name, what was it? Well,
Speaker 6: I don't know. I'm not sure if I'm the one
Speaker 6: that I intended.
Speaker 5: What do you mean?
Speaker 10: Well, I don't want to get anybody in trouble. I
Speaker 10: want to give out names. What's the angle on him?
Speaker 4: You want him for something? Biger make enough you?
Speaker 6: Oh?
Speaker 10: Well, his name's prest him. I think if that's the
Speaker 10: name he gave me. Anyway, I went on bars in
Speaker 10: the neighborhood that once in a while.
Speaker 4: How much you know about it?
Speaker 6: Much? I have a few drinks so that now, then
Speaker 6: talk a little bit. That's about all.
Speaker 10: Where'd you say your name was Samdell? Fred Samdell? Well,
Speaker 10: what's the angle on this Preston? We want to get
Speaker 10: in touch with him?
Speaker 4: You know?
Speaker 6: I know I might I go on for something big
Speaker 6: in them?
Speaker 10: Or what's the difference we want him? Well, there could
Speaker 10: be a lot of difference. I mean, what's the angle.
Speaker 10: If it's important to you and I helped you, you
Speaker 10: probably won't do the right thing.
Speaker 6: Huh.
Speaker 4: I don't know if I got you right?
Speaker 10: Well, I mean, if you if you really want the guy,
Speaker 10: you know I it's important to you and I helped
Speaker 10: you reaching you, you'd want to make it square with me,
Speaker 10: would't you?
Speaker 8: Not?
Speaker 6: That I'm asked for payoff? You understand that.
Speaker 10: Yeah, we understand where's Preston lived. Well, I didn't say
Speaker 10: I knew where the guy lives. I didn't say that.
Speaker 6: I'm not sure, am I? I don't know if I'll
Speaker 6: tell you?
Speaker 4: Do you want to stand by here? Bill? I better
Speaker 4: check yet?
Speaker 5: Yeah?
Speaker 6: Fine, okay.
Speaker 11: Any two six, two five five, I could be.
Speaker 4: Ron and yeah, John, This is Joe Friday bunco. Yeah Friday,
Speaker 4: I to check on the suspect. John. He gives the
Speaker 4: name of Fred Sandel. He's a wm A, about forty
Speaker 4: five five f ten hundred and seventy pounds, brown hair,
Speaker 4: brown eyes, ready complexion, small scar just below the left ear.
Speaker 2: Okay, I'll go to call you.
Speaker 4: Back on that. Yeah, would you please? I'm a Dunkirk
Speaker 4: three five oh one six right, I'll call you. Thanks, well,
Speaker 4: say John, you switch me over the bunkle please, I'm
Speaker 4: part from outside.
Speaker 6: Yeah, sure, hang on, thank you?
Speaker 4: Would you want to.
Speaker 6: Switch this call over the bunk on detail? Please?
Speaker 2: Unco rilin?
Speaker 4: Joe Friday, Jobby anything doing? Oh yeah, Joe quite a bit.
Speaker 4: And that suspect of yours wrestled Preston.
Speaker 5: Been picked up?
Speaker 4: Yeah, how'd that happen? Radio car picking up?
Speaker 2: Eight in South Grand drunk charge.
Speaker 7: I understand it's pretty well plastered, running around the middle
Speaker 7: of the street, had quite a bit of money on
Speaker 7: him and brought him into Robert good question.
Speaker 4: Well you're sure as Preston.
Speaker 7: Description checks a couple of sets of identification owning too,
Speaker 7: one for Russell Preston, one.
Speaker 11: For George fairchow where they got him out next door
Speaker 11: interrogation room.
Speaker 6: Ken scarcely talking to him.
Speaker 2: He's dropping iron to the jobs.
Speaker 4: Key Chowie, thanks a lot, we'll be right here it well,
Speaker 4: see a minute, Yeah, you might as well check in.
Speaker 4: Preston has been picked up when probably just after you
Speaker 4: left this bar, radio car spotted him.
Speaker 6: Man, how about that?
Speaker 7: You know, you work two months in a case and
Speaker 7: just when we start to get close, somebody else picks
Speaker 7: the guy up.
Speaker 10: You know, it's right, it's not very exciting, you know.
Speaker 10: I was just thinking, Oh, I don't want to be
Speaker 10: a hoardhead about this thing, you know. I mean, if
Speaker 10: you want this guy presson, i'd be glad I help
Speaker 10: you find I don't want to be a hot head.
Speaker 11: Excuse me a minute, Yeah, John, Yeah, I gotta make
Speaker 11: on that name you asked for friend sent down there's
Speaker 11: a on him.
Speaker 6: And theft, all though, got to put a long record.
Speaker 6: You want me to read it?
Speaker 4: All though? That's all right, John, right, right, right, thank you?
Speaker 6: Why do you say so?
Speaker 10: I don't suppose to sit down and have a drink
Speaker 10: and talk things over, and I'll show you where I.
Speaker 6: Think this person hangs out.
Speaker 4: I mean, if we make make the right deal. Well,
Speaker 4: it's already been made. Do you want to grab your
Speaker 4: top coat? There? We'd like to talk to you downtown me.
Speaker 6: What what are you talking about?
Speaker 10: Grand theft auto? They want you a mystery? Wait a minute,
Speaker 10: you made a mistake. You didn't come in here looking
Speaker 10: for me. You know the even the side of my
Speaker 10: case for this ain't fair.
Speaker 4: Get your code.
Speaker 6: Let's go. Oh but the same thing. You're coming here
Speaker 6: look for Preston. You didn't want me. We do know
Speaker 6: what kind of deals you call that you're looking for Preston.
Speaker 4: You picked me up.
Speaker 6: What's the angle?
Speaker 4: There's no angle. Some days you got to settle for less.
Speaker 4: That's all, Come on, let's go. The story you have
Speaker 4: just heard was true. The names were changed to protect
Speaker 4: the innocent.
Speaker 3: On April fifth, trial was held in Superior Court Department
Speaker 3: eighty nine city in County of Los Angeles, State of California.
Speaker 5: In a moment the results of that trial. Russell R.
Speaker 3: Preston alias George Fairchild alias Robert Fairchild was tried and
Speaker 3: convicted on three counts of grand theft. Fred Sandel was
Speaker 3: tried convicted of grand theft one count. Both men received
Speaker 3: sentences as prescribed by law. They are now serving their
Speaker 3: terms in the State Penitentiary San Quentin, California. Grand theft
Speaker 3: is punishable by imprisonment for not less than one nor
Speaker 3: more than ten years. You have just heard Dragnet a
Speaker 3: series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice comes
Speaker 3: from the Office of Chief of Police W. H. Parker,
Speaker 3: Los Angeles Police Department Technical advisors Captain Jack Donahoe, Sergeant
Speaker 3: Marty Wynn, Sergeant Vans Braser. Heard tonight were Martin Milner, Marion,
Speaker 3: Richmond Bick Rodman. Script by Jim Mosy, music by Walter Schumann,
Speaker 3: hel Gidney speaking.
Speaker 5: Now It's counter Spy on NBC.
Speaker 1: Welcome Back. The idea of Bill Lockwood as Friday's partner
Speaker 1: is probably the one of the more dramatic character ideas
Speaker 1: that Dragnet ever had for one of their place characters,
Speaker 1: with Friday shifting into being a mentor and helping bring
Speaker 1: up a new generation of detectives, passing on what had
Speaker 1: been given to him, and have kept the spirit of
Speaker 1: Ben Romero alive. It would have been an ongoing nod
Speaker 1: to the show's Jenneson and its first partner. Looking even
Speaker 1: further down the line, it also might have provided Jack
Speaker 1: Webb with an exit route from the series Web wanted
Speaker 1: to in the TV version of Dragnet after one hundred episodes.
Speaker 1: He had the idea of Friday being promoted and serving
Speaker 1: as a mentor figure to younger officers. Now, the network
Speaker 1: was at that point not particularly interested in replacing the
Speaker 1: star of one of its biggest hits with young, unknown actors. However,
Speaker 1: if Martin Milner had two or three seasons under his
Speaker 1: belt playing Friday's partner, and Milner was a very solid
Speaker 1: actor capable of carrying a television series himself, it might
Speaker 1: have been easier to pitch the network on having Friday
Speaker 1: promoted and Bill Lockwood becoming the main character with a
Speaker 1: new partner. It's a case where it would have, one
Speaker 1: way or another changed the history of American television. I'm
Speaker 1: not saying it would be better or worse, but it
Speaker 1: would definitely have been different. But this is a case
Speaker 1: where America's military efforts interfered as Milner was drafted. Now,
Speaker 1: Milner would actually continue to make mostly uncredited appearances on radio.
Speaker 1: In Dragnet Web ran a tot schedule with them also
Speaker 1: having to get television done at the same time, and
Speaker 1: they recorded two episodes per day on Sundays, and when
Speaker 1: Milner could, he got a pass, came down and would
Speaker 1: actually earn a month's pay in playing in both episodes
Speaker 1: that ended up being released. Those who knew Milner considered
Speaker 1: him really a working actor. He had some important parts
Speaker 1: of those two big television series that I mentioned already,
Speaker 1: as well as Swiss Family Robinson, which only lasted a season.
Speaker 1: He was a dedicated, hard working performer, loved his family,
Speaker 1: and he also really truly loved fishing. He pretty much
Speaker 1: had retired from acting by the mid nineteen nineties, but
Speaker 1: in nineteen ninety three he began hosting a radio program
Speaker 1: in San Diego on the weekends called Let's Talk Hookup,
Speaker 1: a fishing talk show, and was very active in the
Speaker 1: fishing community and by all accounts for those who met
Speaker 1: him He was a very good guy to go fishing
Speaker 1: with by all accounts, an outstanding individual, very good actor,
Speaker 1: who would play a major role in the sort of
Speaker 1: tried net extended universe. I guess with Adam twelve, but
Speaker 1: might have had a different future on the main series
Speaker 1: had some other things gone differently. Then I do want
Speaker 1: to go ahead and talk a little bit about Fred Sandel.
Speaker 1: He might be even more foolish than guys in the
Speaker 1: Big Border. At least they believed a common myth about
Speaker 1: border crossing and being home free in Mexico. Fred was
Speaker 1: such a genius that he essentially called attention to himself
Speaker 1: and affected his own imprisonment for grand theft. Whereas had
Speaker 1: he given a generic answer like oh, I could help
Speaker 1: you out, but honestly, we were just having a drink.
Speaker 1: I've never met him before. All he managed to do
Speaker 1: was to get Friday to call R and I, because
Speaker 1: apparently he was operating under the supposition that if Friday
Speaker 1: was investigating this bunk o caase, that was pretty much
Speaker 1: all he was concerned with. And of course you'll hear
Speaker 1: on various dramatic shows that police officers saying I'm not
Speaker 1: really concerned about whatever minor crime you're doing as I'm
Speaker 1: investigating this other crime, and that may happen in real life,
Speaker 1: but in this case, Sandell found himself a very nice
Speaker 1: consolation prize. And of course this episode was also a
Speaker 1: bit of a lesson for Bill Lockwood, and it suggests
Speaker 1: some of the things that the series might have done
Speaker 1: in terms of him learning on their job and learning
Speaker 1: what it's like, and the simple lesson that just because
Speaker 1: you put in the like working you did all of
Speaker 1: this doesn't guarantee that you're going to be in on
Speaker 1: the capture. You're part of a tame and sometimes you
Speaker 1: put months into an investigation and have very little to
Speaker 1: do with the way that it ends up. Concluding all right, well,
Speaker 1: now it's time to think our Patreon supporter of the
Speaker 1: day and I want to thank Pam, Patreon supporter since
Speaker 1: February twenty twenty four, currently supporting the podcast at the
Speaker 1: Detective Sergeant level of seven dollars and fourteen cents or
Speaker 1: more per month. Thanks so much for your support, Pam,
Speaker 1: and that will do it for today. If you're enjoying
Speaker 1: the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software
Speaker 1: and be sure to rate and review the podcast. Wherever
Speaker 1: you download it from. We will be back next Thursday
Speaker 1: with another episode of Dragging Net, but join us on
Speaker 1: Friday for yours truly Johnny, it all our where will mister?
Speaker 6: Yes, sir, that's very interesting.
Speaker 2: I beg your pardon.
Speaker 8: What's the matter?
Speaker 7: Don't you good? I said, that's very interesting.
Speaker 8: You see, my name is.
Speaker 6: Carsh No, no, you miss?
Speaker 8: What can I do for you?
Speaker 4: Mister cash? No, listen with you?
Speaker 2: This is Johnny Dollar.
Speaker 8: Oh now, what's the.
Speaker 7: Idea of trying to confuse me that way?
Speaker 4: I'm Carshwright, you remember, Yes, sir, and Johnny, how did
Speaker 4: you do it?
Speaker 8: Do? What?
Speaker 4: Get out here so fast? I only put in that
Speaker 4: called a Hartford about and here you are?
Speaker 7: I mean, how did you manage it?
Speaker 10: Oh?
Speaker 6: Well, you see, mister, I know these new jet.
Speaker 10: Flights are pretty fast.
Speaker 4: But Johnny, you haven't been fooling around with some of
Speaker 4: those rocket ships.
Speaker 3: No, no, no, I'm afraid not.
Speaker 2: I I just happened to be here already.
Speaker 6: You see.
Speaker 5: I was working on a case of at Marrow Bay.
Speaker 4: And did you talk? Yeah? It came out all right.
Speaker 7: Well, congratulations, Johnny, you are a one day and I
Speaker 7: think you deserve some kind of a reward for it,
Speaker 7: So maybe I'll think of something.
Speaker 6: Oh well, thanks, but that won't be necessary what you say.
Speaker 4: I know that I'm deeply indebted to you for the
Speaker 4: things you've done for me. Johnny, Well, I don't worry.
Speaker 8: About it whatever you say.
Speaker 7: Guys, you've talked to you.
Speaker 1: Goodbye.
Speaker 4: Yeah, now, wait a minute, what weas a minute?
Speaker 1: Can't you see?
Speaker 4: I'm busy? But you sent for me I did.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you called Hartford said you wanted to see me
Speaker 2: right away.
Speaker 4: Oh, of course, what's the matter with you?
Speaker 1: Anyway?
Speaker 10: Of course I want to see you.
Speaker 4: Jonathan Peebles too, right away. Who is Jonathan Peebles. He's
Speaker 4: an old friend of mine.
Speaker 1: He lives out here.
Speaker 4: I telephoned him to come running too. Oh well, what's
Speaker 4: it all about, mister guid Right, Just you get yourself
Speaker 4: on over here to my house and I'll tell you.
Speaker 4: I don't you waste any time. You're just pretty important.
Speaker 6: Huh important.
Speaker 1: I hope you'll be with us then in the meantime.
Speaker 1: Send your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot ne,
Speaker 1: follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and check us
Speaker 1: out on Instagram, Instagram, dot com, slash great detectives from Boise, Idaho.
Speaker 1: This is your host, Adam Graham, Sign and off.